Two senior female bureaucrats engaged in a public argument on social media on Sunday, causing a stir within the State bureaucracy. A female IPS officer used social media to publicly criticise a female IAS officer for a number of transgressions. She also made public the IAS officer’s private images, which she allegedly sent with a few male officers.
IPS officer and managing director of the Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation, D. Roopa, attacked Muzrai Department Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri personally in two lengthy blogs and accused her of corruption among other things. Ms. Sindhuri, on the other hand, referred to the accusations as unfounded and based on animosity. She claimed that Ms. Roopa, who is in a position of responsibility, was acting erratically.
Both asserted that the other had broken the Civil Services Conduct Guidelines and that they had informed the proper authorities of their separate transgressions.
In addition, Ms. Roopa has previously insulted Ms. Sindhuri, so this is not the first time the two have engaged in mudslinging. Additionally, throughout the past few years, each of the two officials has become embroiled in controversy while serving in their official roles.
It appears that Ms. Roopa’s posts—to which she attached private photos of Ms. Sindhuri—came after a picture of Ms. Sindhuri seeing K.R. Nagar MLA Sa. Ra. Mahesh—allegedly to mend fences with him—became widely circulated.
In any case, the legislator has filed a defamation lawsuit against the officer after Ms. Sindhuri levelled accusations of land grabbing against him while serving as Mysuru’s deputy commissioner. But a lot of social media users criticised the sharing of private photos and levelled charges rather than reporting it to the proper authorities.
The IPS officer questioned why Ms. Sindhuri and Mr. Mahesh met as a compromise when the officer had already made decisions in his or her official capacity. She charged Ms. Sindhuri with malfeasance during her posts in the districts of Mandya, Hassan, and Mysuru as well as her claimed prior disputes with her coworkers.
Ms. Sidhuri responded by accusing Ms. Roopa of waging a malicious vilification campaign against her. The screenshots were taken from social media posts or WhatsApp statuses, she claimed, and were used to embarrass her. She continued, “That is her (Ms. Roopa) usual method of operation. In every area she has worked, she has done it. She had yearned for public exposure her entire life. She has committed criminal offences and acts that amount to misbehaviour, so I shall take legal and other proper measures with the authorities.
Basavaraj Bommai, the chief minister, is expected to step in and instruct the two officials to hold off on making any public remarks, according to sources in the chief minister’s office.
